7min read
by Olesia Chikunova, ADU Specialist.
Home office design found its way home. Our home environment is often not at all suited for remote work. Some of us spent most of COVID quarantine at the kitchen table, in the dining room or in the living room. I bet your dining table was happy to serve double duty. The luckiest of us had a guest room to occupy. An entire room? What a luxury.
Although it is recommended by multiple experts to keep your office separate from other parts of the house, if you don’t have a lot of space to spare, this might be a great place for a home office. Here, you would need to put more effort into making it a comfortable space to work.
Similar to the bedroom option, this isn’t the best option to create a productive space. However, it can be the best option for you if you don’t have much space in the house. For this, I would recommend getting a multi-purpose desk with lots of drawers, so it can double down as a storage area as well as your work space.
If you have a room that hasn’t been used in a while, and, at the same time, you are in desperate need of a space dedicated to your work, this is perfect for you. There are so many options when it comes to transforming an extra room into a functional home office. You can make it any design you want, but if you don’t have the time to design it, all you have to do is put a comfortable chair and desk there and voila! You have your own work room.
This one is the best option if you want to fully customize your space. For this option, you have the opportunity to turn your unused backyard space into a productivity powerhouse. You can choose how spacious you want your home office to be. You can get away from any annoying or loud family member. Shh.
If you work from home full-time now, the need for home work space becomes a constanta. Your best work will be done in a functional home office environment. Moving out of your home office to accommodate visiting family members can be frustrating and influence your energy levels and creative inspiration.
We all dream of our perfect work space. We all naturally have the desire to have our own space to write a to-do list for the week, read our favorite book, or finish a work-related project. Preferably, all of this will be done in a comfortable chair, behind our favorite desk, with the coolest desk lamp. Also, preferably in a separate room away from everyone and everything else. If that sounds hard to do, it’s because it is.
Creating a home office design suited for your needs is challenging, especially if you have a house full of kids, pets, and/or noise. You can’t always find the time or money to work out the layout, color scheme and construction details for what you want to create. So let me help you out by showing some ways your perfect home office can look, and what styles exist.
If you’re reading this and wondering “do I even ~need~ a home office?”, the answer is definitely yes. Here are some of the reason I think they are useful:
When your house is loud and there are kids and pets running around everywhere, you need your own space. You need to create an area where you can focus on your tasks, and your tasks only. You mind has to be centered. The purpose of the home office is completely up to you, because the possibilities expand to farther than just an office desk.
It can also be a space that you can dedicate to yourself and what you personally want to invest time in. For example, although most of its purpose could be for your office job, it can also be used for knitting, making art, writing poems, or anything else you enjoy doing. It can be a multi-purpose space that you can use for whatever you desire, as long as it gets you focused on it.
When you do get in the zone at your work space, you will be in the right headspace to do your work faster. Instead of worrying about what to do around the house or what groceries you need, you will naturally focus on work and therefore increase your productivity (your boss will love this).
If you often have zoom calls, where the background is important, you don’t want it to be your kitchen island, filled with dirty dishes and overwatered flowers. You want it to be a sophisticated bookshelf, or a beautiful desk lamp. This is exactly why you need to invest in your personal work space at the convenience of your house.
If you’re looking for a space to focus and declutter, then a minimalistic style office might be just right for you. This is perfect for those who find it difficult to focus among distractions, and just want some quiet time for their work. A small pot, a speaker, and a chair might just be enough to get you into that work zone.
Another option that could work for you is the traditional style. Here, feel free to bring out all of the books you’ve been keeping in the garage and put them on the shelves (that would make for a great zoom call background too, by the way). This is if you want to create an environment in your office that screams “academia.” Are you a Harry Potter fan? If you are, then this is the perfect style for you. Organize all of your books in one place and bask in the knowledge that’s right at your fingertips as you sit behind your antique desk.
For the ultra modern aesthetic, see how you can marry practicality with style. If your dream is to work behind a beautiful wooden table, – maybe even one that can transform into a standing desk – then this is definitely the option for your home office. This can be a great option if you’re a remote worker, because you can alternate between sitting and standing as the work day goes on. This is great for both those who already have a modern home, and want to stay within the same style, and those who have always wished for a modern-style home, but never got the chance to have one.
How would you design a spare room for a home office setup? What makes your dedicated office space more productive?
Here are a few essential pieces of office furniture that every home office needs:
Feng Shui gets touted as a way to increase productivity by increasing wellness through a harmonious environment. Although Feng Shui can be useful in any space, it is most beneficial in offices — and home offices — because of how it affects output, creativity, and focus.
These tangible benefits are why many of the most productive American corporations have implemented Feng Shui in their office layout. If you want to access these benefits in your home office, you can start by using this guide which details how to implement home office Feng Shui.
Feng Shui should be the foundation with which you design your home office. This means it should determine your home office aesthetic as much as anything else.
Artificial light doesn’t have the same effect as natural light on your home office. Therefore, when designing or building your home office, prioritize natural light — skylights, floor-to-ceiling windows, and layout all help with natural light.
Placing your desk by a window or skylight ensures you’re leveraging natural light source.
Once again, creating a bright space is crucial. The color palette you use should reflect light. Bright white should not be your first choice as it resembles a hospital or clinical setting. Instead, you can use one of the following cool colors in your home office:
What art should you have on your wall or ornaments to keep on display to improve Feng Shui? The answer is natural elements. Photographs of nature, water elements, and the great outdoors will calm your mind and help you reduce stress. Images or paintings of the ocean are other excellent examples of natural elements that are calming, which you’ll need in a stressful work environment.
For a home office design to truly incorporate Feng Shui, it needs to be separate from the home, as this allows you to maintain the utmost focus during your working hours and maintain a healthy work/life balance.
Without that separation, you become stressed when you’re not working and easily distracted when you’re working, causing your productivity and creativity to plummet.
A detached studio, be it an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) or an accessory structure (shed) is the simplest way to build a Feng Shui home office.
Ideally, your home office should be set up in the part of your garden that receives the most sunlight during working hours. Your home is bound to cast shadows on your office. Rather than building a home office and then discovering where these shadows are, first ascertain where the shadows are before the building phase.
Then, implement a skylight because it will ensure your office gets ample natural light.
You can also build a small brick patio for your home office and then open the doors to let some of nature in or sit on the patio during lunch breaks.
Wood is the go-to building material for Feng Shui office design. You can even have wood planks on the ceiling or as your wall accent.
Water features and greenery are cornerstones of Feng Shui.
The direct translation of Feng Shui is “wind-water,” alluding to the natural elements that are a cornerstone of the design phenomenon.
Real plants are ideal. But if you can’t keep a plant, artificial plants are the preferred option rather than having no plants in your home office.
Place your plants at the door to your office and on or close to your desk to feel energized. Consider implementing a water feature, a tabletop fountain is preferred, but a water station with a mini water cooler can be as beneficial while making the space more functional.
Wood tones — given they’re representative of nature — are also imperative when choosing office furniture. A wooden desk or wood-look desk will help with grounding and self-care. A time-out area with a couch and coffee table drawing from the same color scheme is also helpful at calming and rejuvenating and offers you a recreational space within your office so you don’t have to leave your office during office hours.
If you’re going to be spending on a home office, it’s best to spend on one that improves productivity and awareness, allowing you to accomplish more.
That’s where Feng Shui is paramount. It provides a blueprint for a healthier, stress-free, productive home office design.
According to Vastu Shastra, a traditional Indian system of architecture and design, there are certain principles that can be followed to ensure that your home office is in alignment with the natural forces of the universe.
The direction of your main entrance is extremely important. North, east or north-east are the best Vastu directions for the main entrance of your home as they represent growth and new beginnings.
The next important thing to consider is the placement of furniture in your home office. Avoid placing your desk in front of the door as it will block the flow of positive energy. Instead, place it in a position where you can see the door while working.
The color of your home office space is also important. Vastu Shastra recommends using light colors such as white, light green, or light gold. These colors represent purity and will help to create a peaceful and serene working environment.
It is also important to make sure that there is plenty of light in your home office space. Natural light is always best, so try to position your desk near a window. If you don’t have access to natural light, make sure to use artificial lighting that simulates natural light as much as possible.
Finally, it is important to create a space that is free from clutter. A cluttered home office space will block the flow of positive energy and make it difficult to focus on work. So, make sure to keep your desk and other surfaces clean and organized.
Now let us look at some of the best ways to decorate your home office using elements of Vastu.
From colors and furniture to accessories and artwork, we’ll show you how to create a space that’s both stylish and conducive to productivity. So whether you’re ready to get started or are just getting inspired, keep reading for some great ideas.
Paint is one of the most versatile and affordable ways to change the look of your home office. With a bit of planning and creativity, you can use paint to create a professional and personal aesthetic. Here are some tips on how to make your home office look its best with paint:
If you have a home-based business, choosing a color scheme that reflects your brand is essential. Consider using your company’s colors in your office space. This will create a visual identity for your business and make it easier for clients to remember your brand.
Light colors make your space look bigger and airier if you have a small home office. A fresh coat of white paint can do wonders for a cramped room. You can also use light colors to create a calming atmosphere in your office space.
Consider using dark colors if you want your home office to have a more sophisticated look. Dark colors can make a small space look more intimate and inviting. They can also help to hide imperfections in your walls and furniture.
Consider using bold colors if you want to make a statement with your home office paint. Bold colors can energize a space and make it more fun to work in. They can also help you to express your personality and style.
Here are some tips on how to make your home office background aesthetic.
When it comes to designing an office layout, there are a few things you need to take into account to make sure the space looks great and functions well.
The orientation of your home office can significantly impact your energy use and comfort, and the concept of Vastu helps to understand orientation much better.
In general, the best orientation for a home office is south-facing. This allows the most significant amount of sunlight to enter the space, which can help reduce your heating and lighting costs.
If a south-facing orientation is not possible, another good option is east-facing. This orientation will also allow a good amount of sunlight to enter the space.
West- and north-facing home offices can be more challenging, as they will receive less direct sunlight. However, there are still ways to maximize the natural light in these spaces.
The best home office rug will depend on the specific needs of your space. If you have a lot of foot traffic, you’ll want a durable rug that can withstand heavy use. If your office is in a high-traffic area, you’ll also want a rug with a low pile to prevent tripping.
Consider a rug with an anti-static finish to help keep your computer and other electronics from static shock.
When choosing a rug for your home office, it’s essential to consider the space’s overall design. If you have a modern office, you’ll want a rug that reflects that style. If your office is more traditional, choose a rug with more classical design elements. There are many beautiful and stylish rugs available that will complement any office decor.
There are many different ideas that you can use to create a home office that meets your specific needs and preferences. By taking the time to consider what you need and want from your home office, you can create a practical and stylish space. By following some simple tips, you can create a home office that is not only productive but also harmonious.
